Printing plate



June 6, 1933. R. M. DUGDALE 1,912,437

PRINTING PLATE Filed April 21, 1952 5 JOHN DOE 3 lo HIGH ST 9 6 j BOSTON MASS- IIIIIIIII ftkarviff We, fl fi 62 A. J/WJZ/Wg Faterited June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RICHARD M. DUGDALE, 0F DEDHAI, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FARRINGTO-N MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF CHUSETTS PRINTING PLATE Application filed April 21,

This invention relates to printing plates of the type disclosed in my prior Patent 1,801,593 the plates being particularly adapted for use in hand stamping or printing devices of the type disclosed in my prior Patent 1,801,592 although the subject-matter of the present invention may be employed in association with printing machines of other types. While these printing plates are adaptable to other uses they are particularly useful as identification tokens for customers of department stores, gasoline stations, etc., the plates serving both as an identification device and also as a printing plate.- As set forth in the patents above referred to the printing characters on the plate are preferably embossed and the embossed name and address or other indicia is preferably in nonreverse order so as to be readily read'from.

the front, the printing characters being pressed against the back of the sales slips or other sheets to be printed with carbon paper or ink ribbon in front of the sheets so that the characters are reproduced on the side of the paper away from the printing plates. in this way the printing plate is not soiled in use and the printin characters may be readily read from the Front.

Inasmuch as these printing plates are carried by customers as charge tokens it is of course highly desirable that they be very thin and light in weight. Consequently they are preferably made of thin sheet metal. However there is considerable danger of the plates becoming bent or otherwise distorted, not only when carried in the pocket or a purse but also in case they are inserted in the printing machine improperly. The principal object or the present invention is so to improve the construction of these plates that they may be made of thinner metal and at the same time have suflicient strength to resist the distorting forces to which they are ordinarily subjected or, for a predetermined weight, greatly to increase their strength. Another object is to facilitate the insertion of the signature card ordinarily carried in the recess in the back of the plate, to minimize the danger of accidental displacement of the card from the back of the plate, to

1882. Serial No. 606,595.

protect the edges of the card from mutilation while mounted in the plate, to avoid the necessity of perforatin the periphery of the plate and thereby wea ening the plate, to minimize the danger of articles of wearing apparel accidentally catching on parts of the plate and generally to improve printing plates of the character referred to. For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation;

2 is a rear elevation;

gig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2; an

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration 'is similar to that shown in my prior Patent 1,801,593 in that the plate is formed of thin sheet metal, the central portion 1 is embossed to form the printing characters 2 n'non-reversed order, a recess is provided 1n the back of the plate by transversely bendlng the plate near the margin to form shoulders 3, with flanges 4 outside the shoulders. Unlike the plate disclosed in the aforesaid atent this improved plate has extensions integral. with the opposite side flanges, these extensions being folded back against the flanges to form lips 5 which overlap the recess and therefore overhang the margins of the card 6 mounted in the recess. As shown in Fig. 2 the lips 5 terminate short of one end of the plate (the left-hand end in Fig. 2) so that the card ma be inserted in the recess by slipping it on wise under the lips between the lefthand end of the lips and the shoulder at the left-hand end of the plate. With this arrangement there is little danger of the card becoming displaced accidentally but as a further safeguard I preferably rovide an auxiliary retainer in the form 0 a struckup tab 8 which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

is struck out of the shoulder 3 at the lefthand end of the plate leaving a recess- 7 in this shoulder.

By virtue of the lips 5 the margins of the card are protected throughout the major portion of the length of the plate and the latter is greatly strengthened; and this Increase in strength is effected without materially increasing either the weight or thickness of the plate. By folding the l1ps tightly against the side flanges not only 1s the thickness minimized but the card is held snugly in the recess. Owing to the fact that the lips extend continuously along the sldes of the recess the card is smoothly guided into place and after insertion the side edges of the card are protected throughout substantially the entire length of the card. Another important advantage in foldlng the lips against the flanges (instead of spaced relation thereto) is that the lips then retain the card in both dimensions, transversely because of the overhanging obstruction at the sides and longitudinally because the lips hold the card in the plane of the end shoulders.

I claim:

1. A rinting plate for use as an identification evice comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near its margins to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, characterized by means for holding a card in said recess with its outer face approximately flush with the corresponding face of said flanges, said means comprising integral extensions of opposite flanges bent back along the flanges and projecting inwardly beyond said shoulders.

2. A printing plate for use as an identification device comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near its margins to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, characterized in that the flanges at two opposite edges of the plate have integral extensions bent back against the flanges and projecting past said shoulders so as to hold a card in said recess.

3. A printing plate for use as an identification device comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near its margins to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, a card mounted in the recess with its edges abutting said shoulders, the flanges at two opposite edges of the plate having integral extensions bent back against the flanges and projecting inwardly beyond said shoulders in overlapping relation to the margins of the card.

4. A printing plate for use as an identification device comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near its margins to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, characterized by means for holding a card in said recess with its outer face approximately flush with the corresponding face of said flanges, said means comprising integral extensions of opposite flanges bent back along the flanges, corresponding ends of said extensions terminating short of one end of the plate so that said card may he slipped under the extensions between said ends and the shoulder at the corresponding end of the plate.

5. A printing plate for use as an identification device comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near its margin to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, characterized in that the flanges at two opposite edges of the plate have integral extensions bent back along the flanges and projecting past said shoulders so as to hold a card in said recess, corresponding ends of said extensions terminating short of one end of the plate so that said card may be slipped under the extensions between said ends and the shoulder at the corresponding end of the plate.

6. A printing plate for use as an identification device comprising a piece of sheet metal bent transversely near Its margins to form a recess bordered by shoulders with flanges outside the shoulders, a card mounted in the recess with its edges abutting said shoulders, the flanges at two opposite edges of the plate having integral extensions bent back against the flanges in overlapping relation to the margins of the card, corresponding ends of said extensions terminating short of one end of the plate so that said card may be slipped under the extensions between said ends and the shoulder at the corresponding end of the plate.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts this 18th day of April 1932.

RICHARD M. DUGDALE. 

